The students of Kamar-Taj had indeed reached the limit of what they could absorb from the Reality Stone's power for now. However, as their strength and resilience continued to improve, they could very well use the Reality Stone again to push their abilities to a new height. This was just the beginning. As long as Kamar-Taj retained control of the Reality Stone, they could continue to sustainably develop their strength until they reached their ultimate potential.
After sensing the vast power within the Reality Stone, the students became entirely captivated by it, even thinking it was stronger than the magical dimensions Kamar-Taj had good relations with.
Of course, this was a misconception. As powerful as the Reality Stone was, it was just one of the ultimate forces in the universe. It didn't represent the whole universe. While those magical dimensions might not match the scale of the universe itself, they were still much stronger than any single Infinity Stone.
The reason the students thought this way was because those magical dimensions did not provide them with an endless supply of magic energy. In contrast, the Reality Stone felt like an infinite resource, always available and without any apparent cost. The allure of getting something for nothing is a temptation everyone feels, especially when it seems like there are no consequences. For the students of Kamar-Taj, the Reality Stone now seemed more appealing than any magical dimension. Even though they were protectors of Earth, they couldn't resist the temptation.
"Sayian, if you think about it, the Reality Stone isn't of much use to you. We at Kamar-Taj have a powerful magical system but lack the raw energy to fully utilize it," Kaecilius finally spoke up after a long silence, trying to persuade Robert.
"The Reality Stone is the perfect artifact for Kamar-Taj. It can fill the power gap left by the Ancient One's absence and help us better protect Earth's dimension."
"You should remember that we used to have an Infinity Stone—the Time Stone. It was a major asset in the Ancient One's defense of Earth's dimension."
"But now the Time Stone is gone, and we've struggled to maintain the protection of this realm. The Reality Stone's arrival feels like destiny, here to help us continue our duty of safeguarding Earth."
Robert didn't even bother listening to Kaecilius' speech. He had already realized that the side effects of the Reality Stone were worse than he had anticipated. Kamar-Taj didn't want to give up the stone, and now Kaecilius was even trying to guilt-trip him into letting them keep it.
"So, let's consider this. What if the Reality Stone never actually came into Kamar-Taj's possession, but instead went to Peggy Carter, and from there fell into the hands of the Dark Elves? Whether it was Lorna who retrieved the Reality Stone or me who defeated the Dark Elves, don't we both have more claim to it than you?" Robert said, shaking his head. His gaze moved away from Kaecilius and landed on Constantine and Doom.
"Did you really think you could hide your little magic tricks from me? Out of respect for our past cooperation in dealing with several extraordinary events, and knowing that the Reality Stone's power has clearly affected you, I'll let your current greed slide."
"The Reality Stone isn't the Mind Stone, Sayian. It doesn't corrupt our minds. We've fought together as allies. Don't you want us to grow stronger? Don't you want us to better protect Earth's dimension?" Baron Mordo interrupted, echoing Kaecilius' moral arguments, as if Robert taking the Reality Stone would be tantamount to dooming Earth.
It was becoming increasingly clear that the students of Kamar-Taj now viewed the Reality Stone as their most prized possession. They had even begun to deify it in their hearts. If Robert tried to reclaim the stone now, they'd fight him. Even if the Ancient One were to return and demand they hand it over, they might turn against her as well.
"It seems you've all made up your minds," Robert sighed, shaking his head. If this had been anyone else, he would have already dealt with them, but these were old friends, and someone still needed to keep an eye on Earth's dimension.
After all, Robert had originally come to Kamar-Taj to ask for their help in monitoring the Hell Dimension. Who would have thought that before the Hell Dimension could even cause any trouble, Kamar-Taj itself would present a problem?
With a hum, an invisible force emanated from Robert's mind, revealing the Reality Stone, which had been hidden by Doom's magic and floating beside him.
"Move the Reality Stone, now!" Constantine yelled instinctively as the stone began to drift toward Robert.
Instantly, space magic surged, and the students of Kamar-Taj worked together to cast a Mirror Dimension over the area, enveloping the whole of Kamar-Taj within it.
"Not bad, quite a stable dimension," Robert commented, feeling the strength of the Mirror Dimension. "If you ever encounter another extraordinary event, this might just be strong enough to withstand a battle with someone on par with a Hell Lord, as long as you don't lose focus..."
Despite the layer of space magic that seemed to isolate the Reality Stone, it continued to drift toward Robert. Space magic was powerful, but it wasn't invincible. It could block many forms of power, but it couldn't stop thoughts or mental energy.
Just as Hell Lords could still draw energy from their true forms in the Hell Dimension while in the Mirror Dimension, Robert's mental pull continued to draw the Reality Stone closer, even as the surroundings shifted.
Even as fiery red magical ropes and golden chains locked onto the Reality Stone, slowing its movement, it kept inching toward Robert. Simultaneously, magical arrays began forming around Robert, summoning strange magical forces and creatures to attack him.
But a moment later, a terrifying explosion rocked the space around him, obliterating all the magical forces and creatures, shaking the entire Mirror Dimension.
By the time the blast subsided, Robert had already moved next to the Reality Stone, grabbing it and snapping the magical ropes and chains binding it.
"No!"
"Put down the Reality Stone!"
"Damn it! That's my Reality Stone!"
The students shouted as if they had lost a loved one, their magical energy surging once again to attack Robert.
But the moment Robert grasped the Reality Stone, he vanished. Even within their home ground, the Mirror Dimension, the students couldn't pinpoint his location.
"He's near me!" Doom's eyes widened as he began casting a spell to strike behind him, only to feel a powerful force on his neck that knocked him out instantly.
"No!" Constantine gasped as he realized the magic within the Mirror Dimension had suddenly weakened. He quickly began casting a powerful spell, and a terrifying creature could be seen struggling to emerge from his incantation.
But before it could manifest, Constantine was struck on the neck and knocked unconscious as well.
The creature, a reptilian monster, managed to break free of the spell, letting out a furious roar at Robert.
"It looks like a lizard… but uglier. I wonder if it's edible…" Robert muttered, hesitating as he glanced at the creature.
Despite being indifferent toward food, he still hesitated this time. After all, there were plenty of massive dinosaurs on the primeval island; there was no need to bother with this thing, even though it wasn't a magical construct but a real dimensional creature.
Sensing danger, the creature immediately shut its mouth and began retreating, trying to crawl back into the magic circle it had emerged from.
Unfortunately, Constantine was unconscious, and the path back to its dimension had vanished. Unless its dimension could reach out and retrieve it, the creature was stranded.
With a flash of energy, a ki blast enveloped the creature, erasing it from existence, despite its vitality exceeding that of most demon lords.
Robert disappeared again, reappearing behind Baron Mordo and the others, swiftly knocking them unconscious as well. With all the students down, the Mirror Dimension faded away.
If Robert hadn't learned instant transmission, the Mirror Dimension might have posed a challenge. He would have needed to break through its barriers to find and defeat each student.
But now, the Mirror Dimension was essentially his playground. He could travel wherever he wanted, even more freely than the students who controlled it.
"Sigh, this is a headache. I came here to ask you guys to keep an eye on the Hell Dimension, but it seems you first need to master your own power," Robert said, looking down at the unconscious Constantine and the others with a mixture of exasperation and sympathy.
The Reality Stone didn't corrupt minds like the Mind Stone, but power itself can be a corrupting force. The boost the Reality Stone had given Constantine and the others was far too great for them to handle.
Though they hadn't yet faced any direct backlash from the stone, their greed for power was itself a form of corruption.
Even the strong-willed Constantine and Doom hadn't escaped this influence, simply because their power had grown too quickly.
If they had ascended all the way to Skyfather-level or beyond, they wouldn't have hidden the Reality Stone at all. They likely would have succumbed to the stone's allure, turning against their allies and using its power to challenge Robert. Thankfully, a sliver of restraint had prevented such a disastrous outcome.
As for whether the Reality Stone could elevate someone to Skyfather-level, one only needed to look at Captain Marvel, Carol, who gained power from the Space Stone. The Infinity Stones indeed had that potential.
And that was just from the stone's energy. If someone fully mastered an Infinity Stone, their power would be even greater.
"The best thing for you all right now is to stay away from the Reality Stone and focus on controlling your power. I think the Hell Dimension would be a
good place for that…" Robert muttered, his eyes brightening as he realized he could combine his two goals into one.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]